ORANGE COUNTY, FL (September 8, 2025) – “Every day, the Attorney General’s inexperience with criminal prosecution becomes more abundantly clear; it risks the public safety and credibility of our criminal legal system for every Floridian. State Attorneys are constitutionally empowered to exercise discretion in determining when charges should be brought. That discretion requires prosecutors to evaluate whether sufficient evidence exists to establish probable cause, and whether the matter should properly be presented to a grand jury or court. In a homicide case, where one individual’s life has been taken, the gravity of the circumstances demands thorough evaluation. Florida’s self-defense laws, including the “Stand Your Ground” statute, provide certain immunities when the use of force is justified; however, whether that justification applies in any given case is a matter for judicial determination, not partisan politics. Prosecutors do not serve as extensions of the Governor or the Attorney General; we serve the people of our circuit in accordance with Florida law. The Attorney General’s attempts to intimidate or override independent prosecutorial judgment erode public trust in the impartial administration of justice.”